侠 meaning and stroke order
Chivalrous person; knight-errant
How to write 侠, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
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- 8
Meaning of 侠
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- knight-errant
- brave and chivalrous
- hero
- heroic
How 侠 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Person.
亻 gives the meaning and 夹 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 侠
A person 亻 standing beside 夹 (jiā), which gives the sound. Picture a hero who steps in to stand between the weak and danger, protecting them at his side.
侠 (xiá) is mostly used in words, not alone. It is common in martial arts stories, called 武侠 (wǔxiá), and in titles for heroes. Example: 他是一位行侠仗义的大侠。 (Tā shì yí wèi xíngxiá zhàngyì de dàxiá.) He is a great hero who upholds justice.
Common mistake: Learners often read 侠 as jiā because of the phonetic part 夹, but it is xiá with a rising second tone. Also do not confuse it with 峡 (xiá, gorge) or 狭 (xiá, narrow), which share the same sound but use 山 and 犭 instead of 亻.
Common words with 侠
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
侠 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 侠
How many strokes are in 侠?
侠 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 侠 mean?
侠 (xiá) means chivalrous person; knight-errant. A common word with it is 侠义 (xiáyì), meaning "chivalrous; chivalry".
How do you pronounce 侠?
侠 is pronounced xiá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 侠?
The radical of 侠 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 侠 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 侠?
The traditional form of 侠 is 俠. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 侠 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 侠 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 侠 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 武侠 (wǔxiá) mean?
武侠 refers to the martial arts hero genre in Chinese novels, films, and TV. These stories feature wandering swordsmen who fight for justice, like the works of Jin Yong (金庸).
Is 独行侠 (dúxíngxiá) a compliment?
It can be neutral or slightly playful. It describes someone who likes to act alone, a lone wolf, and is often used for people who work or travel by themselves.